Cap assembly for a medicament delivery device

ABSTRACT

This disclosure relates to a cap assembly for a medicament delivery device that has a cap body arranged to be connected to a medicament delivery device for protecting and for removing a medicament delivery member shield. The cap body has an inner cap structure defining a channel extending along the central axis of the cap body, and a gripping member configured to be received in the channel with a friction fit and to receive a medicament delivery member shield. The gripping member has a first leg, a second leg, and a transverse portion extending between the first leg and the second leg, which transverse portion defines the leading edge of the gripping member when received by the channel.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 15/180,424 filed Jun. 13, 2016, which is incorporated by referenceinto the present application.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to medical devices. Inparticular, it relates to a cap assembly for a medicament deliverydevice, to a medicament delivery device comprising the same, and to amethod of assembling a medicament delivery device.

BACKGROUND

Medicament delivery devices, such as injectors and inhalers, typicallycomprise a housing in which a medicament container containing amedicament is to be arranged. Upon activation of the medicament deliverydevice, the medicament is expelled through a medicament delivery member,for example a needle or a nozzle.

In order to protect and to keep the medicament delivery member sterile,the medicament delivery member may be provided with a medicamentdelivery member shield, or sheath, such as a Flexible Needle Shield(FNS) or a Rigid Needle Shield (RNS). The medicament delivery membershield may thus be attached to the medicament container to cover themedicament delivery member, during assembly of the medicament containeror of the medicament delivery device.

Moreover, the medicament delivery device may comprise a removable capwhich is mounted to the proximal end of the housing, i.e. that end whichis placed towards the injection site during medicament delivery, of themedicament delivery device, or to the proximal end of the medicamentcontainer. The removable cap has the function of providing mechanicalprotection of the medicament delivery member while attached to thehousing or medicament container, and to remove the medicament deliverymember shield when the cap is removed from the housing.

WO2015/110532 A1 discloses an auto-injector having a connector forconnecting a needle cover to a removable cap. The connector has aplurality of legs spaced symmetrically away from one another about acentral hub. The legs have an elastic nature and aid in securing theneedle cover and/or rigid needle shield to a cap insert and hence to theremovable cap. The needle cover and/or needle shield are securedtogether through upper, internally facing barbs protruding from thefirst legs. The upper, internally facing barbs include tips that pointtoward the forward end of the connector. These barbs are shaped toengage the needle cover and/or rigid needle shield when the needle coverand/or rigid needle shield is fitted within the connector. The barb tipsapply opposing force with respect to one another when the engage theneedle cover and/or rigid needle shield when the needle cover and/orrigid needle shield is fitted within the connector.

SUMMARY

According to the design disclosed in WO2015/110532 A1, the legs of theconnector are flexed towards each other as soon as the connector isplaced in the cap insert. This bending of the legs renders it moredifficult to insert the needle cover/rigid needle shield into theconnector, thereby making assembly more difficult.

In view of the above, a general object of the present disclosure is toprovide a cap assembly which simplifies assembly of a medicamentdelivery device.

There is hence according to a first aspect of the present disclosureprovided a cap assembly for a medicament delivery device, the capassembly comprising: a cap body arranged to be connected to a medicamentdelivery device for protecting and for removing a medicament deliverymember shield, which cap body has an inner cap structure defining achannel extending along the central axis of the cap body, and a grippingmember configured to be received in the channel with a friction fit andto receive a medicament delivery member shield, wherein the grippingmember has a first leg, a second leg, and an transverse portionextending between the first leg and the second leg, which transverseportion defines the leading edge of the gripping member when received bythe channel, each of the first leg and the second leg having arespective proximal portion extending distally from the transverseportion and extending parallel to each other, the first leg and thesecond leg also having a respective distal portion, the distal portionsbeing radially flexible and extending away from each other to allow thegripping member to receive a medicament delivery member shield betweenthe distal portions, each distal portion being provided with amedicament delivery member shield gripper configured to engage with amedicament delivery member shield when the gripping member is pushedinto the channel and the distal portions flex radially inwards.

Each medicament delivery member shield gripper is hence configured toengage with the medicament delivery member shield when the grippingmember is pushed into the channel by the medicament delivery membershield, causing the distal portions to flex radially inwards.

Due to the design of the gripping member, in particular the first legand the second leg where the proximal portions extend parallel and thedistal portions are inclined and radially extend outwards, in the distaldirection, the gripping member will not flex radially inwards initiallywhen received by the channel of the inner cap structure. The grippingmember will only flex radially inwards once the proximal portions havebeen fully received and the distal portions are being received. Thisfacilitates assembly when the medicament delivery member shield isinitially to be received by the gripping member, as the distal portions,with their medicament delivery member grippers, will still be in theirinitial outwards extending position until also the distal portions arereceived by the channel. Tolerances for assembly are tight, and thus theproposed design may facilitate the assembly procedure.

According to one embodiment each medicament delivery member shieldgripper extends radially inwards.

According to one embodiment each medicament delivery member shieldgripper is formed by a radially inwardly curved end portion of thecorresponding distal portion.

According to one embodiment each distal portion has a straight extensionfrom the corresponding proximal portion to the medicament deliverymember shield gripper.

According to one embodiment each proximal portion has a straightextension from the transverse portion to the corresponding distalportion.

According to one embodiment the channel has opposing inner walls thatextend parallel in the longitudinal direction.

According to one embodiment the opposing inner walls extend parallelwith each other along the entire extension of the channel.

According to one embodiment the gripping member is made of metal. Thegripping member could alternatively be made of for example plastic.

According to one embodiment the gripping member is configured to engagewith an inner wall of the channel when the gripping member is maximallyreceived in the channel, thereby locking the gripping member in amaximally received position.

According to one embodiment the gripping member and an inner wall of thechannel are configured to engage to retain the gripping member in theinner cap structure.

According to one embodiment the inner cap structure has radialthrough-openings, and each of the first leg and the second leg of thegripping member has a flexible portion arranged between the proximalportion and the distal portion, which flexible portion in a first statehas a radially outwards extending curvature, wherein the radialthrough-openings are configured to receive a respective flexible portionwhen the gripping member is received by the channel.

According to one embodiment each distal portion is provided with aradially outwards extending protrusion configured to engage with adistal end of the inner cap structure to thereby prevent the distalportions from being received in the channel.

According to one embodiment the flexible portions are configured tostraighten out when the transverse portion is pushed proximally in thechannel and the radially outwards extending protrusions engage with thedistal end of the inner cap structure, to obtain a second state, theflexible portions thereby extending parallel with each other when thegripping member is maximally received in the channel.

According to one embodiment the flexible portions are bi-stable withrespect to the first state and the second state.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure there is provideda medicament delivery device comprising: a housing arranged to receive amedicament container and a medicament delivery member shield, whichhousing has a proximal end and a distal end, and a cap assemblyaccording to the first aspect, configured to be mounted adjacent to theproximal end of the housing.

One embodiment comprises a medicament delivery member shield, whereinthe longitudinal extension of the first leg and the second leg is longerthan the length of the medicament delivery member shield to allow themedicament delivery member shield grippers to engage with a distal endof the medicament delivery member shield when the medicament deliverymember shield and the distal portions are arranged in the channel of theinner cap structure.

One embodiment comprises a medicament delivery member shield that has aflexible rubbery external surface, wherein the longitudinal extension ofthe first leg and the second leg is shorter than the length of themedicament delivery member shield to allow the medicament deliverymember shield grippers to engage with the external surface of themedicament delivery member shield when the medicament delivery membershield and the distal portions are arranged in the channel of the innercap structure.

According to one embodiment the medicament delivery device is one of aninjector, an inhaler and an eye dispenser.

According to a third aspect, there is provided a method of assembling amedicament delivery device, comprising: a) providing a cap assemblycomprising: a cap body having an inner cap structure defining a channelextending along the central axis of the cap body and configured toreceive a medicament delivery member shield, and a gripping memberconfigured to be received in the channel with a friction fit and toreceive a medicament delivery member shield, wherein the gripping memberhas a first leg, a second leg, and an transverse portion extendingbetween the first leg and the second leg, each of the first leg and thesecond leg having a respective proximal portion extending distally fromthe transverse portion and extending parallel to each other, the firstleg and the second leg also having a respective distal portion, thedistal portions being radially flexible and extending away from eachother to allow the gripping member to receive a medicament deliverymember shield between the distal portions, each distal portion beingprovided with a medicament delivery member shield gripper, b) pushingthe gripping member partly into the channel, with the transverse portiondefining the leading edge of the gripping member so that the distalportions extend distally from the channel, c) placing the cap assemblyat a proximal end of the medicament delivery device, d) placing amedicament container assembly including a medicament delivery membershield into the housing, from a distal end of the housing, e) moving themedicament container assembly in a proximal direction inside the housinguntil the medicament delivery member shield is received between thefirst leg and the second leg, and the gripping member is pushedproximally by the medicament delivery member shield to such an extentthat the distal portions are pushed radially inwards by inner walls ofthe channel and the medicament delivery member shield grippers engagewith the medicament delivery member shield.

Generally, all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted accordingto their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitlydefined otherwise herein. All references to “a/an/the element,apparatus, component, means, etc. are to be interpreted openly asreferring to at least one instance of the element, apparatus, component,means, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The specific embodiments of the inventive concept will now be described,by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of a partly assembledmedicament delivery device;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an example of a cap assembly for themedicament delivery device in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section of the cap body in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4a shows a longitudinal section of a proximal portion of themedicament delivery device in FIG. 1 before the cap assembly has beenfully assembled with a medicament delivery member shield;

FIG. 4b is a longitudinal section of a proximal portion of themedicament delivery device in FIG. 1 when the cap assembly has beenassembled with the medicament delivery member shield;

FIG. 4c is a longitudinal section of a proximal portion of themedicament delivery device in FIG. 1 when the cap body has been pulledfrom the housing of the medicament delivery device to expose amedicament delivery member; and

FIGS. 5a-c show longitudinal sections of a medicament delivery devicebeing assembled with another example of a cap assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The inventive concept will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplifyingembodiments are shown. The inventive concept may, however, be embodiedin many different forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided byway of example so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete,and will fully convey the scope of the inventive concept to thoseskilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout thedescription.

The term “proximal end” as used herein, when used in conjunction with acap assembly, refers to that end of the cap assembly which, when mountedto a medicament delivery member shield installed on a medicamentdelivery member in a medicament delivery device, forms the proximal endface of the medicament delivery device. The proximal end of themedicament delivery device is hence that end which is to be pointedtowards the site of injection during medicament expulsion. The sameconsiderations also apply when referring to any component of the capassembly, i.e. the cap body and the gripping member. The “distal end” isthe opposite end relative to the proximal end. With “proximal direction”and, equivalently, “proximally” is meant a direction from the distal endtowards the proximal end, along the central axis of the cap assembly.With “distal direction” or “distally” is meant the opposite direction to“proximal direction”.

The present disclosure relates to a cap assembly for a medicamentdelivery device. The cap assembly is configured to be mounted to amedicament delivery member shield thereby protecting the medicamentdelivery member shield and the medicament delivery member. The capassembly is furthermore configured to engage with the medicamentdelivery member shield such that removal of the cap assembly from themedicament delivery device removes the medicament delivery member shieldfrom the medicament container prior to medicament administration. Themedicament delivery member shield may be made of a rigid material or aflexible/rubbery material. To this end, the medicament delivery membershield may for example be a rigid needle shield or a flexible needleshield.

The cap assembly includes a cap body which when mounted to a medicamentdelivery member shield installed in a medicament delivery device formspart of a housing assembly enclosing the internal components of themedicament delivery device. Such internal components include themedicament delivery member and a medicament container. To this end, thecap assembly has an external surface forming part of the housingassembly, and an internal structure including an inner cap structuredefining a channel extending coaxially with the central longitudinalaxis of the cap body. The central longitudinal axis of the cap bodycoincides with the central longitudinal axis of the housing when the capbody is fitted to the medicament delivery device. The inner capstructure is configured to receive a medicament delivery member shield.

Moreover, the cap assembly includes a longitudinal gripping memberconfigured to receive a medicament delivery member shield and to bereceived in the channel of the inner cap structure with a friction fit.The longitudinal gripping member has a first leg and a second leg, and atransverse portion or connecting portion, which extends between thefirst leg and the second leg. The transverse portion may be seen as ahub portion.

The first leg and the second leg are arranged opposite to each other andextend longitudinally from the transverse portion in a distal direction,generally parallel with a central axis of the gripping member. Eachfirst leg has a proximal portion essentially parallel with the centralaxis and a distal portion. The distance between the outer surfaces ofthe two proximal portions essentially corresponds to the distancebetween opposing inner surfaces of the channel, whereby the proximalportions are configured to be received with a friction fit in thechannel.

The distal portions of the first leg and the second leg are radiallyflexible and extend away from each other in a distal direction. Thedistal portions thereby form a distal mouth of the gripping member.

Each of the two distal portions has a medicament delivery device shieldgripper configured to engage with a medicament delivery member shieldwhen the gripping member is received in the channel and the distalportions have been bent radially inwards by the inner walls of thechannel, so that they extend essentially parallel with the central axisof the gripping member.

Examples of cap assemblies and a medicament delivery device comprising acap assembly will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1-5 c.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a medicament delivery device 1, which has notbeen fully assembled. In particular, the exemplified medicament deliverydevice 1 has an end cap or end portion which has not yet been mounted.

Medicament delivery device 1 has a housing 3 having a proximal end 3 aand a distal end 3 b. The housing 3 is furthermore provided with aninspection window 3 c enabling a user to inspect medicament contained ina medicament container installed in the medicament delivery device 1.

Medicament delivery device 1 also has a cap assembly 5 including a capbody 7 and a gripping member, not shown in FIG. 1. The cap assembly 5 isconfigured to be mounted to a medicament delivery member shield arrangedinside the housing 3. The cap assembly is thus designed to form aproximal end part of the medicament delivery device 1.

Turning now to FIG. 2, a perspective view of the cap assembly 5 is hereshown. As mentioned above, the cap assembly includes the cap body 7 andthe gripping member 9, of which a first example is depicted. Theexemplified cap body 7 has an inner and an outer concentrically arrangedcylinder structure. To this end, the cap body 7 has an external surface7 c having an essentially cylindrical structure and an inner capstructure 7 a which also is essentially cylindrical. The inner capstructure 7 a is hollow and defines a longitudinal channel 7 b that hasa distal end opening. The channel 7 b is configured to slidably and witha friction fit, receive the gripping member 9 during assembly of themedicament delivery device 1.

The gripping member 9 has a longitudinal body provided with a first leg9 a, a second leg 9 b, and a transverse portion, or connecting portion,9 c. The transverse portion 9 c connects the first leg 9 a and thesecond leg 9 b. The transverse portion 9 c may for example beessentially cylindrical or cylindrical. The first leg 9 a and the secondleg 9 b extend from the transverse portion 9 c at about 180 degreesangle relative to each other, as seen in the circumferential direction.The first leg 9 a and the second leg 9 b are hence arranged opposite toeach other.

Each of the first leg 9 a and the second leg 9 b has a respectiveproximal portion 9 d extending longitudinally in the distal directionfrom the transverse portion 9 c. The proximal portions 9 d are parallelor essentially parallel with each other and thus parallel with thecentral axis of the gripping member 9. Each of the first leg 9 a and thesecond leg 9 b also has a respective distal portion 9 e. Each distalportion 9 e extends from a respective proximal portion 9 d. The distalportions 9 e extend radially outwards, in the distal direction. Theradial distance between the oppositely arran ged distal portions 9 ehence increases in the distal direction. The distal portions 9 e form adistal mouth of the gripping member 9, allowing the gripping member 9 toreceive a medicament delivery member shield between the first leg 9 aand the second leg 9 b.

Each distal portion 9 e is provided with a respective medicamentdelivery member shield gripper 9 f. According to the present example,the distal end of each distal portion 9 e is provided with themedicament delivery member shield grippers 9 f. In the presentvariation, the medicament delivery member shield grippers 9 f extendradially inwards. In the exemplified gripping member 9, the distalportions 9 e extending between the proximal ends 9 d and the medicamentdelivery member shield grippers 9 f are inclined with respect to thecentral axis of the gripping member 9, and essentially straight, i.e.non-curved.

The distal portions 9 e are radially flexible or elastic, so that whensufficiently large radial inward-pointing forces are applied to thedistal portions 9 e during assembly of the medicament delivery device 1,the distal portions 9 e will be bent radially inwards, as indicated bythe arrows in FIG. 2, so that the medicament delivery member shieldgrippers 9 f are moved towards each other until the distal portions 9 eare essentially parallel. The medicament delivery member shield grippers9 f may thereby engage with a medicament delivery member shield.

The gripping member 9 may for example be made of metal, such as steel oraluminium, or a plastic material.

In FIG. 2 the gripping member 9 is shown in a state prior to assemblywith the cap body 7, with the distal portions 9 e of the first leg 9 aand the second leg 9 b extending radially outwards in the distaldirection along a central axis of the gripping member 9.

The exemplified gripping member 9 has four legs for reasons of symmetry.Alternatively, the gripping member could be provided with only two legsarranged oppositely relative to each other. There could also be morethan four legs, in theory generally any integer number that is evenlydivisible with the integer two for symmetry, or even odd number of legsif the legs are evenly spaced in the circumferential direction.Thetransverse portion 9 c may optionally also be provided with radialsupport structures 9 g, as shown in FIG. 2. The radial supportstructures 9 g extend radially inwards towards the central axis of thegripping member 9. The radial support structures 9 g are configured toprevent a medicament delivery member shield from sliding past theproximal end of the gripping member 9, in the proximal direction, whenpushed into the gripping member 9 and the channel 7 b of the cap body 7.The medicament delivery member shield will thereby move the grippingmember 9 proximally during assembly, once the medicament delivery membershield reaches the radial support structures 9 g.

FIG. 3 shows a longitudinal sectional view of the cap body 7, along thecentral longitudinal axis thereof. According to the example in FIG. 3,cap body 9 has an external surface 7 c which forms part of the externalsurface of the housing assembly that also includes the housing 3, of themedicament delivery device 1, for protecting internal componentsthereof. As previously mentioned, the inner cap structure 7 b is coaxialwith and concentrically arranged with the external surface 7 c of thecap body 7. The inner cap structure 7 b forms an essentially cylindricalchannel 7 b having a distal end opening for receiving the grippingmember 9 and a medicament delivery member shield having been receivedbetween the first leg 9 a and the second leg 9 b of the gripping member9. It is the engagement between the gripping member 9 and the medicamentdelivery member shield that retain the cap body 7 in a mounted state inwhich it forms part of the housing assembly.

The cap body 7 has a proximal end 7 d with a radial surface whichaccording to the present example is closed in the sense that in amounted state it forms a closed front wall of the medicament deliverydevice 1. The cap body 7 also has a distal end 7 e which according tothe example is formed by the distal end of the inner cap structure 7 b.According to the example, the longitudinal extension of the inner capstructure 7 b is greater than the longitudinal extension of the externalsurface 7 c of the cap structure 7. The cap body 7 may thereby receive agreater portion of a medicament delivery member shield, for a moresecure fit or engagement therewith.

With reference to FIGS. 4a-4c the operation of the cap assembly 5 willnow be shown during assembly of a medicament delivery device 1 and whenpreparing the medicament delivery device 1 for medicamentadministration.

During assembly, the gripping member 9 is arranged in channel 7 b of theinner cap structure 7 a, with the transverse portion 9 c forming theleading edge of the gripping member 9 when being placed in the channel 7b. The gripping member 9 is at this stage not yet received in its finalposition in the channel 7 b. The gripping member 9 is hence movableproximally in the channel 7 b during the forthcoming assembly stage.

In FIG. 4a a medicament container 11 has been mounted into the housing 3of the medicament delivery device 1. The medicament container 11 isadvantageously inserted from a distal end opening in the housing 3 inthis stage and moved proximally within the housing 3. Theabove-described step of assembly of the cap assembly 5 hasadvantageously already been performed at this stage.

According to the example in FIG. 4a , the medicament delivery device 1is an injector, and the medicament delivery member is a needle 13. InFIG. 4a a medicament delivery member shield 15 has been mounted onto themedicament container 11, thus protecting the needle 13. The cap body 7is furthermore in position and forms a continuation of the housing 3,thereby protecting internal components of the medicament delivery device1.

The medicament delivery member shield 15 has not yet been fully receivedby the inner cap structure 7 a into the channel 7 b. It has however beenreceived fully between the first leg 9 a and the second leg 9 b of thegripping member 9. The proximal end of the medicament delivery membershield 15 bears against the radial support structures 9 g of thegripping member 9. The distal portions 9 e of the first leg 9 a and thesecond leg 9 b extend radially outwards in the distal direction, whichis the default state of the gripping member 9.

In FIG. 4 b, the medicament delivery member shield 15 and the grippingmember 9 have been maximally received into the channel 7 b of the innercap structure 7 a. With “maximally received” is here meant that themedicament delivery member shield 15 and the gripping member 9 have beenreceived into a final assembly position in the channel 7 b. Thisposition is achieved by moving the medicament container 11 further inthe proximal direction within the housing 3, as illustrated by thearrow. The proximal end of the medicament delivery member shield 15thereby pushes the radial support structures 9 g, and thus the grippingmember 9, in the proximal direction further into the channel 7 b. Thedistal portions 9 e of the first leg 9 a and the second leg 9 b willthereby be received in the channel 7 b. The distal portions 9 e willthus bear against the inner walls of the channel 7 b, and as a result bebent radially inwards to extend essentially parallel with the innerwalls of the channel 7 b. The medicament delivery member shield grippers9 f will therefore move radially inwards to engage with the medicamentdelivery member shield 15. As per the present example, the axial lengthof the gripping member 9 is greater than that of the medicament deliverymember shield 15, which is thereby fully received by the gripping member9. The medicament delivery member shield grippers 9 f extend beyond thedistal edge of the medicament delivery member shield 15. Moreover, themedicament delivery member shield grippers 9 f extend radially inwardsbeyond the outer diameter of the medicament delivery member shield 15 sothat the medicament delivery member shield grippers 9 f can engage withthe distal edge or distal end of the medicament delivery member shield15 when the cap body 7 is pulled off, i.e. removed. It should however benoted, that as an alternative to the illustrated example, the medicamentdelivery member grippers could be configured to grip into the externalsurface of the medicament delivery member shield in case the medicamentdelivery member shield 15 is made of a rubbery or flexible material, andthe gripping member is made shorter longitudinally than the longitudinalextension of the medicament delivery member shield.

There are a plurality of possible solutions for the gripping member 9 tomaintain engagement with the inner wall of the channel 7 b, so that thegripping member 9 is retained or locked in a fixed position when the capbody 7 is pulled off the medicament delivery device 1. The grippingmember 9 may for example be attached to the inner wall of the channel 7b by means of an adhesive such as glue, or it may be fastened bydesigning the size and external surface structure of the gripping memberto maintain its position by friction, or the gripping member may beconfigured to engage with the inner wall of the channel 7 b when thegripping member reaches its final position. To this end, the inner wallof the channel 7 b may be provided with a radial recess and the outersurface of the gripping member may be provided with a correspondingradial protrusion. Alternatively, the inner wall may be provided with aradial protrusion and the outer surface of the gripping member may beprovided with a corresponding radial recess for engagement therebetween.

FIG. 4c shows a situation in which the cap body 7 is being pulled offthe medicament delivery device 1, as illustrated by the arrow. As can beseen, the medicament delivery member shield grippers 9 f engage with thedistal edge of the medicament delivery member shield 15. Due to thefixed position of the gripping member 9 in the channel 7 b, the grippingmember 9 will pull the medicament delivery member shield off themedicament container 11 to thereby eventually expose the needle 13 whenthe cap body 7 has been fully removed from the remainder of themedicament delivery device 1.

FIG. 5a shows a medicament delivery device 1′ provided with anotherexample of a cap assembly. FIG. 5a shows the medicament delivery device1′ during the assembly stage, when the cap assembly 5′ and themedicament delivery device shield 15 have not yet been fully mounted toeach other.

Cap assembly 5′ has a cap body 7′ similar to the previously describedcap body 7. To this end, cap body 7′ has an inner cap structure 7 a′,which defines a longitudinal channel 7 b′ having a distal opening andextending proximally towards the proximal end face of the cap body 7 a′.The inner cap structure 7 a′ has radial through-openings 8 arrangedoppositely relative to each other. The radial through-openings 8 arearranged in a distal portion of the inner cap structure 7 a′.

In a similar manner as the previous example, gripping member 9′ has atransverse portion 9 c′ and radial support structures 9 g′, a first leg9 a′ and a second leg 9 b′. Each of the first leg 9 a′ and the secondleg 9 b′ has a proximal portion 9 d′, which proximal portions 9 d′extend parallel to each other, and a distal portion 9 e′. The distalportions 9 e′ are provided with medicament delivery member shieldgrippers 9 f′ configured to engage with a medicament delivery membershield 15. In their default state, the distal portions 9 e′ each have aradially outwards extend section in the distal direction, and areradially flexible. According to the present example, each of the firstleg 9 a′ and the second leg 9 b′ also has a flexible portion 10extending between the proximal portion 9 d′ and the distal portion 9 e′.The flexible portion 10 is, in a first state, curved radially outwards.The flexible portion 10 hence has a radially outwards extendingcurvature in the first state. The flexible portion 10 may for example inthe first state have a triangular shape in a side view. Each distalportion 9 e′ furthermore has a radially outwards extending protrusion12, arranged in the distal direction prior to the radially outwardsextending section of the distal portion 9 e′.

In FIG. 5b , the medicament delivery member shield 15 has been fullyinserted into the gripping member 9′, bearing against the radial supportstructures 9 g′. In this position, the radially outwards extendingprotrusions 12 engage with the distal end 7 e′, a flange surface, of theinner cap structure 7 a′. The radially outwards extending section of thedistal portions 9 e′ can therefore not be received by the channel 7 b′.

In FIG. 5c , the medicament delivery member shield 15 has broughtforward the gripping member 9′ by straightening out the flexible portion10, compared to the state shown in FIG. 5b , thereby obtaining a secondstate. The radially outwards extending protrusions 12 act as a fulcrumwhen the flexible portions 10 are straightened out, about which theradially outwards extending sections of the distal portions 9 e′ canpivot. The distal portions 9 e′ are therefore flexed or pivoted radiallyinwards, and the medicament delivery member shield grippers 9 f′ engagewith the distal end or edge of the medicament delivery member shield 15.The flexible portion 10 may thus have a bi-stable functionality orstructure.

Each flexible portion 10 may for example have three transverse cuts toform a triangular-shaped curve in the first state, to facilitate flexingfrom the first state to the second state.

The medicament delivery device utilising the cap assembly according tothe present invention may for example be a manual injector, anauto-injector, an inhaler, or an eye dispenser.

The inventive concept has mainly been described above with reference toa few examples. However, as is readily appreciated by a person skilledin the art, other embodiments than the ones disclosed above are equallypossible within the scope of the inventive concept, as defined by theappended claims.

1. A gripping member for a cap assembly of a medicament delivery device,the gripping member configured to be inserted in a cap channel with afriction fit and adapted to receive a medicament delivery member shield,wherein the gripping member has a first leg, a second leg, and atransverse portion extending between the first leg and the second leg,each of the first leg and the second leg having a respective proximalportion extending distally from the transverse portion and extendingparallel to each other, the first leg and the second leg also having arespective distal portion, the distal portions being radially flexibleand extending away from each other to allow the gripping member toreceive a medicament delivery member shield between the distal portions,each distal portion being provided with a medicament delivery membershield gripper, wherein each gripper is bent radially inward.
 2. Agripping member for axial insertion into a cap assembly, the grippingmember for removal of a medicament delivery member shield in amedicament delivery device, the gripping member comprises: alongitudinal body comprising a first leg and a second leg, where thefirst and second legs each have a distal portion and a proximal portion,where the proximal portions are generally parallel to each other andwhere the distal portions have a first position and a second position,where when in the first position the distal portions are not parallel toeach other and when in the second position the distal portions aregenerally parallel to each other, wherein the distal portions each havea terminal distal end that is bent radially inward to define themedicament delivery member shield grippers, the shield grippers areshaped to abut and engage a medicament delivery member shield when thedistal portions are in the second position, and wherein the longitudinalbody is configured to allow the gripping member to slide axiallyrelative to a channel in the cap and to form a friction fit within thechannel as the distal portions move from the first position to thesecond position.
 3. The gripping member of claim 2 where the medicamentdelivery member shield grippers are configured such that the shieldgrippers will engage a distal facing edge of the medicament deliverymember shield when the distal portions are in the second position. 4.The gripping member of claim 2 further comprising a flexible portionarranged between the proximal portion and the distal portion of each ofthe first leg and the second leg.
 5. The gripping member of claim 4 theclaim above where the shield grippers are configured such that theshield grippers will engage a distal facing edge of the medicamentdelivery member shield when the distal portions are in the secondposition.
 6. The gripping member of claim 4 where when the flexibleportion is in a first state the flexible portion has a radially outwardsextending curvature.
 7. The gripping member of claim 4 where theflexible portion is in a straightened out configuration when theflexible portion has moved from the first state to a second state.
 8. Acap assembly for a medicament delivery device, the cap assemblycomprising: a cap body comprising an inner cap structure having radialthrough-openings and defining a channel extending along a central axisof the cap body, where the channel has an open end; and a grippingmember configured to be received in the channel with a friction fit andto receive a medicament delivery member shield, where the grippingmember has a first axial position relative to the inner cap structureand a second axial position relative to the inner cap structure; whereinthe gripping member has a proximal end and a distal end, a first leg, asecond leg, and a transverse portion extending distally from theproximal end and between the first leg and the second leg to define acavity comprising a support structure, wherein each of the first leg andthe second leg having a respective proximal portion extending distallyfrom the transverse portion and extending parallel to each other andhaving distal portions with proximal ends extending distally from theproximal portions, where a flexible portion is arranged between theproximal portion and the distal portion of each of the first leg and thesecond leg, wherein when the gripping member is in the first axialposition, the proximal ends of the distal portions are bent radiallyoutward from the central axis extending away from each other to define amouth that has a larger opening than the open end of the channel andlarge enough to receive a medicament delivery member shield between thedistal portions, wherein when the gripping member is moved to the secondaxial position, the proximal ends of the distal portions are bentradially inward closing the mouth around medicament delivery membershield such that the mouth opening is smaller than the open end of thechannel, and wherein each distal portion being provided with amedicament delivery member shield gripper configured to engage with themedicament delivery member shield when the gripping member is moved fromthe first axial position to the second axial position.
 9. The capassembly of claim 8, wherein the inner cap structure has radialthrough-openings that receives the flexible portion when the flexibleportion is in a first state and the gripping member is received by thechannel.
 10. The cap assembly of claim 9, wherein each distal portion isprovided with a radially outwards extending protrusion configured toengage with a distal end of the inner cap structure to thereby preventthe distal portions from being received in the channel.
 11. The capassembly of claim 10, wherein the flexible portions are configured tostraighten out when the transverse portion is pushed proximally in thechannel and the radially outwards extending protrusions engage with thedistal end of the inner cap structure, to obtain a second state, theflexible portions thereby extending parallel with each other when thegripping member is maximally received in the channel.
 12. The capassembly of claim 11, wherein the flexible portions are bi-stable withrespect to the first state and the second state.
 13. The cap assembly ofclaim 8, wherein the distal portions each have a terminal distal endthat is bent radially inward to define the shield grippers, where theshield grippers are shaped to abut and engage a distal facing edge ofthe medicament delivery member shield when the distal portions are inthe second position.
 14. A method of assembling a cap assembly for amedicament delivery device, comprising: a) providing a cap body to beconnected to the medicament delivery device for protecting and forremoving a medicament delivery member shield, which cap body has aninner cap structure defining a channel extending along a central axis ofthe cap body; and b) providing a gripping member configured to receivethe medicament delivery member shield to be slidably received andretained in the channel through a friction fit, where the grippingmember has a longitudinal body comprising a first leg and a second legand medicament delivery member shield having an outer diameter and adistal facing edge located at a terminal distal end of the medicamentdelivery member shield; c) pushing the gripping member partly into thechannel, with the transverse portion defining the leading edge of thegripping member so that the distal portions extend distally from thechannel,
 15. The method of claim 14 further comprising, d) placing thecap assembly at a proximal end of the medicament delivery device, e)placing a medicament container assembly including a medicament deliverymember shield into a medicament delivery housing, from a distal end ofthe housing, f) moving the medicament container assembly in a proximaldirection inside the housing until the medicament delivery member shieldis received between the first leg and the second leg, and the grippingmember is pushed proximally by the medicament delivery member shield tosuch an extent that the distal portions are pushed radially inwards byinner walls of the channel and the medicament delivery member shieldgrippers engage with the medicament delivery member shield.
 16. Themethod of claim 14 wherein the first and second legs each have a distalportion and a proximal portion, where the proximal portions aregenerally parallel to each other and where the distal portions have afirst position and a second position, where when in the first positionthe distal portions are not parallel to each other and when in thesecond position the distal portions are generally parallel to eachother.
 17. The method of claim 14 wherein the distal portions each havea terminal distal end that is bent radially inward to define shieldgrippers, the shield grippers are shaped to abut and engage the distalfacing edge when the distal portions are in the second position.